ISU to host meeting to address Colony Collapse Disorder in bees,
other topics

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University will host an international
meeting of pollination experts who will address, among other topics,
Colony Collapse Disorder - the latest phenomenon that is affecting the
number of bees pollinating food crops in America and Europe that can
seriously impact food supplies.

The conference, the 9th International Pollination Symposium on
Plant-Pollinator Relationships - Diversity in Action, will run from June
24-28 at the Scheman Building on Iowa State's campus in Ames.

More than 100 scientists, researchers, graduate students and others
will attend the event which will include more than two dozens speakers
from Germany, Italy, Denmark, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Spain, the
Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S. who will present information on a
variety of pollination-related topics.

The Wednesday morning session of the symposium will focus exclusively
on Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) with special speakers addressing the
disorder from 8 - 10 a.m. A special registration fee has been
established for individuals who want to attend only the Wednesday
programming. The morning speakers will be followed by a discussion of
CCD from 10 - 11 a.m. moderated by Richard Hellmich, a research
entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural
Research Service and an adjunct assistant professor in entomology at
Iowa State.

Colony Collapse Disorder is a term applied to the unexplained deaths
of bee colonies across the United States. While the cause of the deaths
is not fully understood, the losses have an impact on many crops that
depend on bees for pollination.

The symposium is designed to include some of the top pollination
researchers in the world.

"We've worked very hard to get all the leading researchers from the
various areas of pollination, including those who are involved in Colony
Collapse Disorder," said Mary Harris, adjunct assistant professor in
entomology and an event organizer.

With the growing concern of the effect CCD will have on the nation's
food supply, finding answers is becoming increasingly important.

"There is a crisis right now in the number of pollinators. People
don't realize the importance of pollinators in the food they eat," said
Harris. "There's an old saying that goes, 'When you eat, every third
bite you should thank a pollinator.' Without pollinators, we wouldn't
have many of the foods we eat today."

This will mark the second time the symposium will have been held in
the United States. Iowa State was chosen as the site both because of
logistical advantages, the amount of pollination-related research
conducted by ISU and the North Central Plant Introduction station, and
the deep significance of pollinators to agricultural productivity.

John Nason, an associate professor in the department of ecology,
evolution and organismal biology at Iowa State, said the conference is a
mixed blessing.

"It's unfortunate that CCD is happening," he said. "But it's a good
thing that the symposium is happening here and now to address the
issue."

One of the speakers in the CCD segment of the conference is Jeffrey
Pettis, a research entomologist for the USDA - ARS in Maryland. He will
present his lecture "Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder in the United
States."

Keynote speaker for the conference is James Thompson a professor in
the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of
Toronto, Canada, who will be presenting "A Pollen-centric View of
Plant-Pollinator Commerce: The Advantages of Thinking Small."

Over the course of the symposium, more than 30 additional researchers
will be speaking on topics including how plants attract and reward
pollinators, impacts of pollinators on the movement of plant pollen and
genes, pollinators in agricultural production and plant germplasm
management, and the biology and conservation of pollinators, including
native species.

June 24-30 has been designated National Pollinator Week, Gov. Chet
Culver has designated the week as National Pollinator Week in Iowa, and
the U.S. Postal Service plans to introduce a Pollination Stamp series to
commemorate the week.

The symposium is sponsored by the International Commission for
Plant-Bee Relationships and coordinated by the local organizing
committee of ISU faculty.

Quick look

ISU will host an international meeting of pollination experts who will
address, among other topics, Colony Collapse Disorder--the latest
phenomenon that is affecting the number of bees pollinating food crops.

Quote

"There is a crisis right now in the number of pollinators. People don't
realize the importance of pollinators in the food they eat."